Opinio Juris - December 2010

Scroll down to learn about the last days of GPOaccess.gov, the latest legal information institute, Google's ebookstore, the International Law in Domestic Courts database, and The Originalism Blog.

The Last Days of GPOaccess.gov

The GPOaccess.gov website is soon set to expire as FDsys becomes the official online home for public access to Government Printing Office material. During the past year, GPO has been migrating information from GPOaccess to FDsys, which signifies “Federal Digital System.” FDsys offers more sophisticated searching options, allowing users to search across any or all GPO collections and to browse specific collections. There are both simple and advanced search functions. Users can narrow searches by such limiters as date, keyword, GPO collection, government agency, and person. The FDsys collection includes Congressional reports (104th - present), Congressional hearings (104th - present), the Congressional Record (daily, 1994 - present), Congressional documents (104th - present), the Federal Register (1994 - present), CFR (1996 - present), U.S. Code (1994 - present), and Congressional bills (103rd - present).

Google ebookstore

Google officially entered the digital book market earlier this month with the launch of its ebookstore. Using an existing Google account or creating a new one, individuals can purchase e-books and store them in Google’s digital “cloud.” E-books stored in the “cloud” are readable on a variety of devices including personal computers, smart phones, tablets, and e-readers other than the Amazon Kindle. Visitors to the site can search by keyword across all Google’s e-books or limit searches to certain categories such as fiction, history, politics & current events, reference, and mysteries & thrillers. Google provides a brief video overview of its ebookstore and the concept of seamless reading from the “cloud."

International Law in Domestic Courts

The International Law in Domestic Courts database, part of the Oxford Reports on International Law, provides cases from over 70 jurisdictions involving international law jurisprudence. Cases include a brief description of the facts, the legal issues, and the holding, in addition to the full text of the decision. For decisions not printed in English, there is full text of the original with English translation of key passages. The database also provides lists of cases and instruments cited, some of which are hyperlinked to the full version. The database is accessible on campus or off campus with proper authentication.

Originalism Blog

Love it or hate it, it's out there - originalism. The University of San Diego School of Law's Center for the Study of Constitutional Originalism has launched The Originalism Blog. The introductory post indicates that there are currently no other
blogs devoted to cataloging and reviewing developments in originalism. Blog
entries will initially focus on SSRN papers, originalism posts on other blogs,
and journalism pieces discussing originalism. December 11th's entry refers to the work of one of our own.

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